Santa Rosa California Mission

Mission Letter 3-24-14

A Brightness of Hope

In chapter 6 of Preach My Gospel – Christlike Attributes, we learn about hope.

“Hope is an abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promises to you. It is manifest

in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance. It is believing and

expecting that something will occur. When you have hope, you work through trials

and difficulties with the confidence and assurance that all things will work together

for your good. Hope helps you conquer discouragement.” Preach My Gospel, p 117.

I have found it that as my faith increases so does my hope and as my hope increases,

so does my hope. They go hand in hand one helping the other to grow as we come

to realize the importance of what we do and what our purpose is as servants of the

Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul teaches us that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of thing

not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) So, the substance of all the things which we hope for

is what makes up our faith. What a marvelous manifestation and insight to this

Christlike attribute is given to us by Paul. Having a greater substance of all the thing

that we hope for will help our faith to increase.

In the 13th

we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is

anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these

things.”

Hope is therefore worth seeking after. Hope has given me the ability to believe even

more. At times when hope was waning or not existent in my life, I found that I was a

miserable and lost soul. When I focused on hoping for things to get better whether

it was illness, results from sin, trials and tribulations, at that moment when I began

to regain lost hope, things became brighter and my attitude towards all things

changed. I needed to focus on hoping for things that mattered – not for things of the

world but for things that would fortify and strengthen my soul.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell former member of the Quorum of the Twelve said the

following about hope:

“Real hope keeps us “anxiously engaged” in good causes even when these appear to

be losing causes on the mortal scoreboard (see D&C 58:27). Likewise, real hope is

much more than wishful musing. It stiffens, not slackens, the spiritual spine. Hope

is serene, not giddy, eager without being naive, and pleasantly steady without being

smug. Hope is realistic anticipation which takes the form of a determination—not

only to survive adversity but, moreover, to “endure … well” to the end (D&C 121:8).

“Real hope inspires quiet Christian service, not flashy public fanaticism. Finley Peter

Dunne impishly observed, “A fanatic is a man who does what he thinks the Lord

would do if He knew the facts” (quoted in The Third—and Possibly the Best—637

Best Things Anybody Ever Said, comp. Robert Byrne [1986], no. 549).

The greatest source of hope is of course the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of all

things good and true. His love will always be available to us and that should give us

hope during times of trial.

Our Savior’s love shines like the sun with perfect light,

As from above it breaks through clouds of strife,

Lighting our way, it leads us back into his sight,

Where we may stay, to share eternal life.

The Spirit, voice of goodness, whispers in our hearts

A better choice than evil’s anguished cries.

Loud may the sound of hope ring till all doubt departs,

And we are bound to him by loving ties.

Our Father, God of all creation, hear us pray

In reverence, awed by thy Son’s sacrifice.

Praises we sing. We love thy law; we will obey.

Our heavenly King, in thee our hearts rejoice.

LDS Hymns – Our Savior’s Love – No. 113

I pray that all our hearts rejoice in this knowledge. He lives! He will return once

again to gather His children. Let us have a greater hope regardless of the things we

struggle with and He will deliver us and claim us as His own.

I love each one of you. I rejoice in your goodness and your dedication to His cause.

Love,

President Alba